


3 A.M. At Kenny's

by EzraTheBlue



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 3 A.M. Shift at Denny's AU, Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No War, Businessman Ignis, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prompto Argentum Is a Sweetheart, Server Prompto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2020-02-16 10:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18689731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzraTheBlue/pseuds/EzraTheBlue
Summary: Based on the "3am shift at Denny’s au" post going around Tumblr.It's 3 A.M., Ignis needs a coffee, and nothing he's passed for two miles has been open, until he reaches a Kenny's, whose staff is ready and willing to serve, especially their perky late-night shift server.





	1. 1. 3 A.M. At Kenny's

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a wild hare of an AU based on a post going around Tumblr right now. I can't make any promises about how far this will go, but I'm open to ideas and I'm just here for a good time. However, I do have a few very definite ideas for some things that would happen, so let's start at the beginning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis can't go another mile without a cup of coffee, but at this time of night he has only one option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a wild hare of an AU idea I had based on a post going around Tumblr. I can't promise how far it'll go or an update schedule, I'm just here for a good time. I have some ideas of things that definitely happen, so let's start here.

**3 A.M. At Kenny's**

**1\. 3 A.M. At Kenny's**

It was the only thing open. Of course it was. It was a 24-hour diner, the time was 2:58 A.M., and every other restaurant he’d passed for the last mile had been closed. Ignis literally had no other option.

The Kenny’s sign blared bright, the fluorescent white letters gleaming against the puddles in the parking lot as he pulled his uncle’s beloved Crown in and eased on the parking brake. Gladio stirred in the passenger seat, muttering incoherently, but Ignis tutted him. “We’re still an hour away from home, but I can’t drive another mile without a coffee.”

“Wh’t’ver, man,” Gladio slurred, and his head dropped back against the headrest. Ignis scoffed, and surveyed the garish diner’s facade. The windows were dim, not helped by the clouds swallowing the moonlight. Ignis normally wouldn’t entertain entering an unreputable place such as this - he had standards, _thank you_ \- but a cup of coffee was a cup of coffee, and Ignis desperately needed a cup of coffee. With a resigned sigh, he fixed his glasses, straightened his tie and made for the entrance.

Kenny’s was precisely the place he remembered it to be based on visiting one of its franchise siblings in a previous desperate situation. The dining room was poorly lit, with imitations of stained-glass lamp-covers, “nostalgic” memorabilia and posters from cult movies or popular bands from twenty years ago plastering the beige walls, and green and rust-colored vinyl bench seating and barstools that were ripped in places to varying degrees around the room. A dusty jukebox, half-lit by aging neon tubes, sat against a wall, ominously silent. Ignis could faintly scent grease, floor cleaner, and musk. He hardly even wanted to touch anything in this room, but he summoned his courage and pushed the door as gingerly as he could.

There was a chime as he passed through the vestibule doors, and a chirpy voice called from somewhere in the building, “be right with you!” He couldn’t see the source among the paltry few other patrons: a woman with flyaway tangled hair and thick glasses, with an open book under her bowed head next to a stack of books and six empty coffee cups in a neat row; a blonde girl in a bomber jacket and unseasonably short shorts playing the casino arcade machine and blowing bubblegum; a rough-looking man with close-cropped grey hair and a stubbly mustache and beard asleep in front of an empty  in the corner booth. The brightest light in the room came from the kitchen, and Ignis could see directly into it to spy one or two chefs moving around in food-splattered aprons, but then a shadow appeared in the door, white light illuminating golden hair like a halo in the night. A young man, a few years Ignis’ junior, emerged from the kitchen, smiling way too bright for three in the morning.

“Heya! Good - evening? Morning? Whatever, hi!” He skipped half a step as he walked past the girl. “Still waiting on your ride, Cindy?”

The blonde girl popped a bubble and chewed again as she picked another game. “Paw-paw said he’d pick me up on his way to the garage, but it’ll be another half-hour.”

“Boo.” The server stuck his tongue out and approached Ignis with a big smile. “Sorry to keep you, sir.  Booth, table, or bar?”

“The bar is fine; I literally only need a cup of coffee, preferably to go.” Ignis gave the young man a quick survey with a sweep of his eyes. His halo had faded fast. The server's khakis and polo were wrinkled, and there was a stripe of what Ignis hoped was chocolate frosting down the middle of his green Kenny’s apron. His hair was a deliberate bird’s nest, blond and wild, swept up into a faux-hawk held fast with some sort of fruit-scented pomade. His smile, however, was genuine.

“Coffee? Sure thing! Take a load off, I’ll brew a fresh pot.” He motioned for Ignis to follow him and seated him with a prime view of the kitchen. “My name’s Prompto, so you can just holler if you need anything.”

Prompto gave him a menu despite his protest, and hurried to the kitchen past an idling coffee maker. He heard Prompto briefly exchanging indistinct but friendly words with one of the chefs, and he emerged after a minute with a clean coffee pot. Ignis drummed his fingers on the bar as he pulled a half-empty pot off of the coffee maker’s burner and turned the machine back on. “So, I haven't seen you before. You come this way much, Mister -”

“Ignis is fine.” Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose, but as the machine turned on, the woman with the books squawked and waved both hands.

“Young man! Pronto! You!” She waved frantically. “Coffee! Coffee, coffee, I have to read another chapter!”

“Two minutes, Dr. Yeagre!” Prompto laughed a little, and Ignis noticed him pouring coffee beans into a grinder. He found himself surprised that they didn’t use pre-ground, but he wouldn’t complain for a moment. “But sorry. Ignis, you said? You come here before?”

Ignis was inadvertently glaring at the squawking bookworm, far too exhausted for such antics and straining to imagine how Prompto could be as spirited as he was. Then, he realized Prompto had asked him a question. “Er. Come here. I don’t ... Not often, until recently.”

“Oh?” Prompto pushed the lid onto the grinder and pulsed it a few times. The sleeping scruffy man startled and yelled. Ignis jumped a foot as the man hollered something about panthers, before sliding back down into the bench in a daze. Prompto, unperturbed, just gave the grinder a shake and peered in the top, as nonchalant as if he hadn’t even noticed. “Got some business out this way?”

“Yes. Business.” Ignis bit his words off, knowing well he was being much more curt than he would have been with caffeine in hand but lacking the wherewithal to care or correct himself.

Prompto, clearly amused rather than intimidated by Ignis’ (admittedly rude) reservation, chuckled and poured the ground beans into the filter, then switched on the machine. “Headed for Insomnia, I take it? Kinda ironic.” He leaned over the counter and grinned, too-wide and a little crooked. Ignis pursed his lips.

“I suppose so. But yes. Home. I’d like to get home tonight, I’ve a meeting with my employer at noon and it would be pleasant to get a few hours sleep and refresh before then.”

“I gotcha.” Prompto nodded. “Where ya drivin’ from?”

“Work.” Ignis grimaced and stared at the coffee pot as it lurched into gear. Prompto chuckled and leaned back.

“Ooh, I get it!" He tossed his head back and lifted his nose. "The stoic type who keeps his own counsel, huh?” Ignis couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the dramatization. Prompto just clicked his tongue and winked. “That’s just fine, I understand, it’s super late. Relax, Igs, I’m just keeping you talking to help keep you awake while the coffee brews.”

Ignis narrowed his eyes. Clever boy. “Lestallum. My partner and I are working on a significant contract and our meeting ran unexpectedly long, leaving us to begin our journey home three hours later than expected.”

“Damn, that sucks!” Prompto crossed his arms. “Well, I’m not keeping you any longer’n I have to, so-”

“You!” A book slammed on the counter next to Ignis, and Dr. Yeagre was slapping the counter. “Young man, do you know the viscosity of mucus in an environment with a salinity PSU of 50/100?”

Prompto cocked his head, blinking, then took a piece of paper off of his order pad and offered it to her. “I dunno, Doc, maybe you should ask your partner in the morning.”

“Yes, yes!” She stalked away as suddenly as she’d come, scrawling her question down, and Ignis removed his glasses and cleaned them off, unable to believe that had just happened in front of him. Surely, a trick of the light.

“Is that normal?”

“Oh, y’know, standard hazard of the job.” Prompto grinned. “Dr. Yeagre’s got some big study on the frogs in the swamp south of here running, something about climate change, and she can get kind of involved. If she doesn’t notice what time it is before my shift is up, I’ll let her know.”

“I see.” Ignis cocked his head. “I suppose I can admire a woman dedicated to her work.”

“Absolutely!” Prompto winked and gave finger guns. “See, that’s why I don’t mind being her sounding board. It feels good to help!”

The shabby man in the corner let out a rattling moan, and Prompto turned to the blonde girl again. “Hey, Cin, I think Dave’s tweaking on doe-in-heat piss again.” He mouthed to Ignis, _real bad reaction,_ then spoke to the girl again, “Any chance you could call his mom? I think he’s got an elk carcass in his truck bed and I’d hate to lure vultures.”

The girl popped another bubble. “I’m off the clock.”

“Fine. I’ll get it in a minute.” The coffee machine let out a peppy little chirp behind Prompto, and Prompto pivoted around, grabbed the pot, and poured a mug for Ignis, then filled a to-go cup. “Milk, cream, sugar?”

“Just sugar.”

Prompto brought over the mug and one of the boxes of sugar packets. “One pouch or-”

Ignis grabbed six of the sugar packets, ripped the tops off, and dumped the contents of all six into the mug. Prompto laughed spiritedly, but did the same for the to-go cup. “That’s about how sweet I like my coffee, but I usually like it with milk, too.”

Ignis scoffed. “We will have to agree to disagree.” He stirred the coffee vigorously as Prompto poured out six mugs and carried them all over to Dr. Yeagre’s table, and finally took a long sip. It was hot, sweet, and the bitterness of the coffee stung just right.

It was very nearly as good as the coffee he made for himself at home. Prompto had earned his halo.

He flagged Prompto as he returned. “Your coffee is excellent. Check, please.”

“Thanks, Igs.” Prompto beamed. “I can only make the good stuff late at night ‘cause it takes longer, but a friend of a friend taught my friend how to do it proper and he showed me, and it really does make a difference! So - um, anyway.” He seemed to realize he’d been rambling and cleared his throat like he could clear the air of his own chatter. “Um, you sure I can’t get you a short stack?”

“I’d like one, sug! Go have Ulric flap me some jacks!” The blonde girl waved a hand without tearing her eyes away from the casino machine, and someone laughed from the kitchen. Ignis laughed through his nose.

“No, no; I just want to go home.”

“That’s fine.” Prompto handed him the to-go cup, then turned to the register and tapped a key as Ignis took another long, slow sip from the mug. ‘Coffee’ appeared on the POS screen. ‘215 gil.’ Ignis frowned at the price and pulled out a few bills.

“Is that all?”

“For one cup of coffee and one free refill? You betcha.” Prompto’s smile came as naturally as sunrise, and Ignis felt warmed to see it. “Glad to have been of service.”

Ignis handed Prompto a 500 gil bill. “Keep the change. Thank you for the conversation.”

Prompto gaped a moment, mouth hanging open in shock, but he perked up again in an instant. “Anytime!” He grinned. “If you travel through here again, stop on by!”

Ignis snorted. “Given the choice, I hope not.” Prompto was about to say something, when the hunter howled something about leopards and spots and Prompto stuffed the bill in his shirt and ran over to placate him, and Ignis decided it was time for him to leave.

The Crown and Gladio were precisely where Ignis had left them; the parking lot, and snoring with his mouth open in the front seat, respectively. The moon had emerged from the clouds now, and hung dim and pink against the slate sky as it descended for the horizon. Ignis got in the car and got his seatbelt on, and Gladio grumbled a little and rolled over.

“G’night.”

“Good morning.” Ignis took a sip from his to-go cup, then set the car in drive, turning the wheel for home.

He adjusted the mirror as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, the light off of the sign catching in the reflection. He quickly memorized the mile marker.

Certainly, there were better places to dine. However, for whatever reason, Ignis got the feeling he might want another cup of coffee sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have any ideas, thoughts, or things you'd like to see explored? I love a good springboard. Comments are great, or you can shout at me on Tumblr at ezra-blue!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought!


	2. People Are Strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis returns to the Kenny Crow's in the space between places, and finds this unusual waypoint contains wilder characters than he'd first imagined, with Prompto at the center of it all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The meme may be dead but the story idea isn't! I've been struggling with the end of this chapter for a while, but I'm gonna throw this out there and try to soldier on! Thanks for your patience!

**2\. People Are Strange**

One in the morning was not a good time to drink coffee, but then, it wasn't a good time to be driving, either. It was, in fact, a preferable time for sleeping. Ignis had been sleeping in his passenger seat, until Gladio gave his shoulder a few pushes.

“Rise and shine, Specs.” Gladio punctuated his wake-up with a yawn. “Just got to the switch point.”

“Did we?” Ignis opened an eye, only to be greeted by the sight of a lonely Kenny's in the middle of nowhere on a country route between Lestallum and Insomnia. “Ah. So we did.”

“Yup. Come on, Niff fire drill.” Gladio jumped out, and Ignis rolled his eyes but followed suit, fixing his jacket and smoothing has hair as he exited the Crown's passenger seat and took the keys from Gladio.

“I don't know why you insist on calling it that. Niflheim drivers exit cars the same as everyone else.”

“I don't know why you insisted on stopping here.” Gladio thumbed over his shoulder at the Kenny's sign illuminating the night. Ignis snorted, nostrils flaring.

“Your house is on the easternmost end of Insomnia, and I won't make it that far without coffee. This establishment has coffee. If you'll excuse me.” Ignis straightened his jacket one more time and departed for the doors. He could hear Gladio chuckling as he clambered back into the car and settled in to sleep the rest of the way home. 

He'd done a bit of logical deduction that had nothing to do with Gladio and his out-of-the-way house. He'd determined that this late in the evening, there was not another coffee seller for 15 miles. He'd also determined that Prompto was on shift long before three, given that by the time Ignis got to him, he was disheveled, with chocolate swiped all over his front. Ignis had deduced that he would be just as likely to catch Prompto and get a mug of his amazing coffee a little earlier in the evening. 

This time, there were more lights on inside the restaurant. Someone had put some money into the jukebox for a piano-heavy cover of “People Are Strange.” The only customers this time were a table of teenagers in club gear and fetish boots with wildly colored hair, all in various stages of devouring french fries, snoring, or talking about how “Wyld Chocobeaus were effin’ HARDCORE tonight, man!” The blonde girl who’d been playing the casino machine last time was serving the teenagers, wearing the uniform this time, apron, khakis, and all. She was putting down glasses of water and soda, but as Ignis pushed through the door, her gaze snapped and locked onto him, and she grinned, then hollered:

“Prompto, could you get the guy at the host stand?”

“Coming!” Sure enough, there he was, coming out of the kitchen. Prompto was wearing a different set of flair buttons on his apron and there wasn’t chocolate on him this time. He saw Ignis from the kitchen doors, and his face lit up like someone had lit all of the LEDs on his buttons at once. “Oh, hi there!” He sprang towards the host stand, impossibly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the wee hours, but he stopped at the host stand. “It's awful nice to see you again! Dinner or breakfast menu? Or just-”

“Coffee, if you please.” Ignis smiled with helpless amusement for Prompto's antics, his eyes crinkling at the edges, and Prompto beamed back.

“Oh, I _live_ to please. Right this way, I'll brew you some fresh.”

Ignis took the same stool at the bar and watched Prompto grind the beans and pour on the water. “You have a good hand. You said a friend taught you?”

“My roommate's friend taught my roommate. My roommate-slash-best-buddy-in-the-universe taught me.” Prompto set the machine and turned it on. “Plus, I fixed the old machine here. I have some spare time sometimes around four or so, after the night owls leave and before the breakfast crowd starts trickling in, so every once in a while, I take 'er apart, give it a real thorough clean, and put it all back together.” Prompto finished adjusting the settings, then spun back around, leaning his back on the counter, and gave Ignis a cocky grin. “Plus, taste testing for mastery.”

“Indeed.” Ignis tented his fingers in front of him as if it could disguise his smile. Prompto didn't seem at all unnerved by Ignis’ undue contentment, either.

“I take it you were in Lestallum on business again?”

“My partner and I are in the midst of some intense negotiation, requiring weekly travel to the head offices of the other party.” Ignis flashed Prompto a stern look. “I can't give any more details; there's an NDA in place.”

“Cool beans.” Prompto nodded without batting an eye. “So, you'll be driving by here once a week?”

Ignis shrugged. “For the foreseeable future. My partner and I leave at 5 a.m. to get to Lestallum by 10, and we haven't been able to leave before 9 in the evening yet.”

“Sheesh!” Prompto shook his head. “No wonder you need coffee.”

“I'm a coffee enthusiast as it is.” Ignis’ smile shifted to wry. “However, it's out of this necessity at this time of night, you have that correct. I'm fortunate you're here to provide.”

Prompto giggled - Ignis’ heart clenched - and he rubbed at his cheeks like he could dust off a blush. “I get it. I wouldn't want to meet me without coffee during the daylight!” He laughed a little, then shrugged and leaned towards Ignis with interest. “Well, if it helps - and it might not, if you can't control when your meetings are - I'm here every day but Monday and Tuesday, from nine to six.” 

Ignis’ eyes boggled. “My goodness.”

“Yup. I'm the overnight prep guy, host, and waiter. I cut up the fruit and veg for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch, when I'm not brewing coffee or handling the late-night crowd.”

To punctuate, there was a shout from across the restaurant, and Ignis glanced around to see the teenagers all on their feet, one of them playing a bootleg recording from a concert on their phone and the rest of them cheering, stomping, and pumping their fists. Prompto, unfazed, peeked at the coffee pot. “Ah, there it goes.” He poured two cups into styrofoam and one into a regular mug. “Here ya go, Igs. Drink up, lemme see if Cindy needs a hand.” He scuttled off inexplicably _towards_ the chaos as Ignis added sugar to his mug. 

He checked his day planner on his phone under the table. Prompto's coffee was incomparable. He didn't want to miss a chance.

Prompto returned with the bill after just a minute - one coffee. Ignis paid double, and left with two more cups of coffee for the road, strolling past the teenagers who were still rocking out and throwing French fries at each other. “Iggy!” Prompto waved from the corner as he fetched the broom. ”Come and see me again, okay?”

“I will, thank you.”

Ignis was already plotting how to best switch the two Monday meetings in the suite to later in their respective weeks.

* * *

“This same Kenny's, huh?” Gladio was awake when Ignis pulled in. Ignis was already looking the building over fondly. They'd gotten out of the meeting earlier than usual, but it was still past nine, just as Ignis had hoped. 

“The coffee is surprisingly good, and I'd like some. You may wait here.”

“Nah.” Gladio threw the seatbelt off. “A late night snack sounds awesome.”

“I'll cover it.” Ignis got out of the car with a shrug. Gladio yawned and stretched as he loped towards the door, rolling his broad shoulders. He opened the door and held it for Ignis. Ignis strolled in and took a look around. The professor - Yeagre, if Ignis recalled, was back, and a few men and women in Lucis National Guard formal dress, black uniform jackets and breeches were seated in a booth. Ignis noticed a chef standing with them, wearing his food-splattered white coat with the Kenny's logo. Gladio's expression sparked as he saw them, and he threw his arms wide and yelled:

"NYX!" 

The chef whipped his head up, and he erupted with delight. "Gladio!"

The other Lucis Guard members all jumped up too, greeting Gladio and surrounding him, inadvertently pushing Ignis back. A hand landed on Ignis' lower back, catching him from stumbling.

"Gosh, your buddy sure is popular!" Prompto was there, withdrawing his hand already and beaming when Ignis turned to face him. "Coffee again?"

"You know me already." Ignis smiled faintly and followed Prompto. "However, I do believe my friend said he wanted something to eat."

"No problem." Prompto motioned for Ignis to sit, then yelled across the restaurant, "Hey, Chef, I think your buddy's hungry!"

"Iggy, don't be antisocial!" Gladio waved broadly from within the circle. "Come on back over here!" Ignis gave Prompto a pleading look, but Gladio had already come and seized Ignis by the shoulder to wheel him back over. Prompto followed like an eager puppy, _grinning_ , the traitor, as Gladio made him sit. “These are some guys from my old Guard regiment. I mean, I don’t know all the newer faces, but if you’re in the regiment, you’re family.” Gladio gestured around at all the other Guard members. “This is my partner in crime, Iggy.”

“Ha.” A woman with wild dark hair braided down from under her cap and framing her sharp, pointy jaw grinned. “I thought you were a ladies’ man, Gladdy.”

“Not that kind of partner.” Gladio waved a hand. “We work together, we’re partnered on a big contract-writing negotiating. He does the negotiating, I do the writing.”

“That’s our delicate flower.” The chef - Ulric, by the name embroidered on his jacket - said with a vicious grin. “He’s a words guy, him and his books.”

Ignis only knew Gladio was blushing now, the red guised by the natural tan of his skin, because he’d known him for years. “Hey, man, just because I read doesn’t mean I don’t know my way around the base.”

“A man must be many things,” Ignis added. “Gladiolus is as capable in the boardroom as he is on the battlefield.” He noticed Prompto nip in on his right and put down two mugs of coffee, as well as a styrofoam take-away mug. Prompto winked, then withdrew. “Enough about us; what brings all of you out here on a night like this?”

"Bachelor party." The chef, Nyx, chuckled and slapped one of the soldiers on the back. "Seems like our junior here’s gonna get married before you.”

“Yeah?” Gladio chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you don’t get out, you’ll die before me, too.”

Gladio and the rest of his old soldier friends laughed. Ignis snorted and took a long draught of his coffee. Splendid, as ever. 

“How about you, Gladio?” Nyx nudged his arm. “Wedding bells in your future anytime soon?”

“You kiddin’?” Gladio snorted. “I’m lucky if I hear the dinner bell in my own house most nights. Nah, I’ve been too busy with work to see someone on the regular. Ain’t that right, Iggy?” He reached over the table and punched Ignis’ arm right as he took up his coffee cup for another sip. “This guy’s the only one who puts in longer hours than me.”

Ignis gripped his coffee tight as Gladio jostled his arm. “Unfortunately, the work we do is vital to the company, and this requires long hours. I consider myself fortunate to have this position, and I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep it.”

“Yeah, he’s lucky, says the valedictorian at Insomnia U, class of 756, with your three Bachelor’s degrees and still working on his Master’s. I’m the one who’s lucky to be the CFO’s kid.”

“Which is why you have to prove yourself, too.” Ignis smiled wryly. “I wouldn’t complain. I had no family ties, only my own mettle.” He put his coffee cup down and noticed that there was a small stack of napkins right beside the spot where Ignis put the mug. “Especially given our youth. This assignment is our testing grounds. We may be the future of the company, but it’s our duty to prove that we can be good stewards of that future. Given that I must prove myself in that regard, I’ve no time to worry about the affections of others.”

Gladio snorted. “We’re not ‘the future of the company’ and you know it. Plus, what’s all this ‘no family ties’ bullshit? You tutored the CEO’s kid.”

“And what a job _that_ was. You may have seen action on the front lines, but have you ever tried to convince a fourteen-year-old boy to care about trigonometry?” Ignis chuckled, and took up his cup again. He noticed it had been refilled while he was looking away, and drank deep. Prompto was earning his tip tonight, to be sure.

Ignis had little appetite but ordered a fruit salad just so he wouldn’t feel left out, as Gladio and his old army buddies ate waffles and chattered about old times and missions, and raised a toast to the soon-to-be-married man. Gladio, Nyx, and a few of the others pitched in to pay the tab, but when the table was cleared, Ignis discovered that there were three styrofoam mugs waiting on the table for him. He stopped by the host stand, where Prompto was wrapping silverware, and watched Prompto’s deft fingers for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Thank you for your excellent service tonight.” He slid a twenty from his pocket and held it out. “Your work ethic is admirable, especially given the late hour, and I can’t imagine you were expecting your six-seater to turn into eight.”

“It’s no trouble!” Prompto finally looked up from his work to see Ignis offering him the tip, and smiled sheepishly and shook his head. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I do want to, however.” Ignis insistently shook his fingers. “You earned it.”

“Aw man.” Prompto flushed, pink even in the dim light, and gently plucked the bill from Ignis’ hand. “Only because you’re making me, got it?” He tucked it into his apron pocket, then faced Ignis. “Can I ask you something stupid?”

“I don’t believe in stupid questions.” Ignis smiled easily. 

“Well, yeah, but…” Prompto trailed off, then blew a strand of hair from his eyes. “I guess I feel dumb for having to ask. So, uh, I might have accidentally heard what you were saying about not being able to meet someone, or, you know, have affections. You said it better.” Prompto bit his lip. “I dunno, I guess I’ve been feeling like between my job and school, I haven’t been able to meet anyone either, even if I really want to. But, like, my folks met in college, and my best buddy’s parents met through work. It just seems impossible for me, though!” He laughed, but it sounded a little like a sigh. “You think it’s even possible for people to meet like they used to? Like, just, even if you have other stuff, you just, I dunno, find someone?” 

“I suppose the world has changed in that regard.” Ignis sighed, furrowing his brow as he considered it. “I suppose… nothing is impossible. I admit, I have sometimes wished I could find someone with whom I could spend a bit of spare time, but so rarely do I have spare time to spend, let alone look.” He patted Prompto’s shoulder, and didn’t miss the little shock in his face when Ignis touched him. “I do hope you have better luck than I.” 

“Hey, Iggy.” Gladio was standing near the table, arms crossed. “The hell are you gonna do with three take-away cups?”

“Drink their contents and recycle the paper,” Ignis retorted, then turned his eyes back to Prompto. “Stranger things have happened. Just give it a little time.” He winked, then went to gather his coffee cups. Prompto waited at the host stand as Ignis and Gladio left, only to grin as the pair of them passed him by.

“Thanks for coming! And, um, thanks, Iggy.” Ignis didn’t miss the broad smile Prompto was wearing seemed to be just for him, nor did he miss just how tight his heart felt as he passed him by.

Ignis started up the car with two mugs of take-away coffee in the cupholders and one in his hand. Gladio threw his seatbelt on and leaned back with a big, rolling groan. “You seemed like you had a good time,” he chuckled as he settled in. “It was good to see those guys, too. Pretty wild, the things you come across by chance.”

“Indeed.” Ignis cranked the key in the ignition. “Nor can I object to finding hospitality this far from civilization.”

He glanced back at Kenny’s in the rearview. He thought he could still see Prompto there at the stand, watching out the window, and thought again on their conversation.

“Stranger things have happened,” he repeated, and as he drove away, he was already looking forward to the next time he sought solace there.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts, ideas, questions, someone you'd like to see? Shout at me on Tumblr at Ezra-Blue, or leave a comment! I love springboards for freeform AUs. Please let me know what you thought!


End file.
